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Do you know about CERT? Does CERT know about you?

Emergency Management Alert, February 15, 2008

The headline didn't grab us, but the content did. In this otherwise perfunctory article about a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Kennebec County, Maine, this paragraph jumped out--maybe because of the growing emphasis by The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) and others on communitywide collaboration in emergencies. (We were thinking of 2008 EC.4.20.4, which says organizations with a defined role in the communitywide emergency management program participate in at least one annual communitywide exercise.)

Though the team was created in 2003, "the towns were not aware of the team, so they weren't being used," [emphasis added] Emergency Management Director Kelly Amoroso said. "We had to get the word out there, and involve them in exercises so the towns can see what their capabilities are." She said local use of the CERT is still a "work in progress," but is pleased that the towns realize it is an asset. "They can call us and we can send people to help them."

CERT, which provides basic education and disaster response services for communities, was developed in the mid-eighties by the Los Angeles Fire Department in preparation for the risk of earthquakes. In 1993, CERT became available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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